*These items were sent to me by Large Cup Lingerie. All opinions are my own.
Large Cup Lingerie held a twitter giveaway recently, and while I did not win, the did graciously send me this Rhea set to review. I want to start by telling you what I love about LCL. They are fun, take a look at their twitter and Pinterest. They interact with their customers, in fact if you can’t find something just ask because the may be able to help. The have free international shipping. Their prices are great. I could keep going here. But on to the bra.
LCL sent the bra (with a second) wrapped nicely in pink tissue and boxed to prevent the bra from being squished. Huge plus for me. A bra shipped from a US retailer may survive and envelope, but international shipping in an envelope is risky. They matching shorts were not immediately available, and were sent separately after they were located. The envelope with the shorts actually came a day before the box, that’s customs for you.
If you’ve read my previous review of the Rhea, you’ll know it is a bra I love. While I was pregnant and nursing I was sized out though. While I loved my nursing boobs, I was insanely excited to shrink back down the smidgen I needed to fit back into the Rhea. Pre pregnancy I had the Antique color way, this one is the black. There are minor differences in fit between the two, most likely due to the fact that the dark black dye can cause some fabric shrinkage.
I LOVE this set. Seriously. I don’t have any matching sets right now, I’m still getting rid of what fit while nursing, what fit while pregnant, and what fit before. I couldn’t just nicely fit into any of those sizes. So having this matching set is wonderful. Not only because it matches, but because the entire thing is so comfortable, while being gorgeous.
Some people think that black lingerie gets old. But on a pasty pale girl like me it works wonderfully. I have a slight yellow base to my skin tone, so some colors do not work well on me. Photos disguise this well, but in person it’s not alway pretty. This black is a nice true black (which means it shows dog hair like crazy), it really accents itself by matching the details. There is no slight color differences between the body of the bra and the detailing. High five on that one, Masquerade! I really dislike when dyes just don’t match up between fabric types on a solid color garment.
I love the half cup style, vertical seams work well for me. This style of bra is the kind that can make my augmented breasts look augmented. It can be a bit minimizing for projection as the cup is created with more lifting room then projection room. The wires are not what I’d call wide or narrow, kind of a middle of the road fit. The open top of the cup really leaves room for some upper boob, so some ladies who are sized out may be able to squeeze into the next size down.
Here’s where we get to my two complaints about this bra, both of which are about the straps. First, they are widely placed. Definitely an armpit strap look. Second they loosen easily. That is because they are made from the same material as the bra, which is wonderfully soft and silky. But when your bra straps start sliding because they have loosened, not so good.
Now on to the matching short. It could not get a good picture of the detailing on these, the black on black makes it hard to photograph with my limited skills. I’ll start by saying that I could happily wear these every day. I’d like one pair for every day of the week. They are so comfortable on me. I seem to be just between sizes, I went with a (UK) 10 based on LCL’d recommendation. So if you need help with sizing for a particular product, ask. Seriously, Laura is a wonderful and sweet lady, she will help you out! The 8 definitely would have cut in at the flank area, but still have fit. I like the smoother line of the 10. I expected the material to shift when wearing because it is so silky, no problem with that. Just soft sexy comfort. I’d really like a bunch more.
Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll have to contact Panache. After just a few wears this is what happened. I know it isn’t a problem with the design or fit, I have this bra in another color way. The band on this bra is slightly firmer, but not enough to cause pulled eyes. So I’m sure it’s just a product defect.
My little blog helper. 
I guess a bra is a great toy.
Until you cannot get it off your head. 
